thread for middle age to older Christian women.
Comments
-
Mini: Been there with the fibroids. I am glad it is not worse. Praise God for taking care of it. I will keep your MRI test in our prayers that all is clear.
Sue: glad to hear about the leg tumor shrinking and that your organs are clear. I will keep you in prayer about the lymph nodes in the chest. Remember that we are here on God's time clock and it will be up to Him decide when He takes us home. So you let tomorrow take care of itself and live for today. God will take care of the rest.
Char
0 -
Sue and Mini - so glad for the good results (and glad the waiting is over with....for this round, at least!)
Well, I'm half finished with rads now - 15 of 30 yesterday. My skin is a little pink and itchy but that's about the only thing I've noticed. I figure if God could help me through chemo and surgery with just a couple of bad days, He certainly can handle a little skin stuff, right?
This was a tough week otherwise, though.....we had to say good-bye to our 9-year old greyhound, Jack, who had bone cancer. Greys are really susceptible to it and it goes very quickly - usually only 2-4 weeks from the time they start limping till they're in so much pain that it's time..... We have lots of good memories and I just picture him at the Rainbow Bridge, running big fast circles like at the racetrack again - and catching the pesky rabbit every time.
Hope you all have a blessed weekend - and that winter has finally finished with us for this year. Now we have to start watching for tornadoes and hurricanes, right?
love y'all - Bev
0 -
Great news. Mini and Sue. Hope and pray things continue on this path for you both. God is so good. Praise and glory be to God!
Bec - it is never easy to loose our pet kids. I have never been around a greyhound but I am sure Jack brought you many years of joy and unconditional love. We think of our Buddy often and miss him lots and it's been almost 2 years. They are such a huge part of our lives. We have tons of pictures as they traveled with us where ever we went on our road and camp trips. It's comforting knowing we gave them good lives.
Yes it looks like today we will be having a beautiful spring day in Washington state. I feel good and going to get moving on some devotional time and go out and sit on my back deck and look at the birdies that have moved into a birdhouse I hung in our tree a couple of years ago. So excited to see what they will be sharing. Not sure what type of bird they are but they are very small not a typical sparrow. I think of it as God's way of giving peace and joy to my day.
This Monday will be my last chemo Abraxane and I am feeling both happiness and a little nervous. I will start on the daily pill Erlotinib along with Avastin every two weeks. Praying this will keep this TNBC at bay and dormant for a long time. I know God has a plan for me and I have hope for the future. Prayers welcomed for my CT scan on Monday as well as this will show where things are at after the last five months of treatment. Glory be to God and thank you Lord for being with me on this journey...Amen!!!
Lucy
0 -
oh, Lucy - what a great reminder! It's similar to what I read last night in my Jesus Today book:
I am taking care of you. I know how hard this is to believe when conditions that are troubling you get worse instead of better. It's easy to feel as if I am letting you down - as if I really don't care about what you're going through. You know I could instantly change your circumstances, and you can't understand why I seem to be so unresponsive to your prayers. But I repeat: I am taking care of you.....Though there are many things you don't understand, you can rest in My unfailing Love.
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8.
Thanks also for your kind words about my Jack. Those furkids sure get a place in our hearts!
I'll sure be praying for you (and us all) this week. Glad you're "graduating" - and prayers for the scan and waiting for results!
Bev
0 -
My prayers to all of you awesome ladies that are struggling with chemo and the other lovely SE's this horrible disease produces. I am grateful to have only fibroids, and even more grateful that my MRI showed only scar tissue. I figured that was the case, but you know that your mind goes there even if you don't want to.
I'm off to church. Blessings to you all.
0 -
Praying for us all today - but especially you, Lucy, with your scan and appointments.
0 -
A beautiful, sunshiny morning after all the storms last night. I am in the mo office awaiting neupogen then over to the pain clinic for my 1st lumbar injection. The Lord gave me rest yet a temp this weekend, have begun levaquin for that. Computers are down in this office. Oh, and yesterday my dil sent me pictures of our 3 week old granddaughter in the public pool! Looked like great fun.
Anita
0 -
Anita I've been thinking about you. So glad you've made it to the pain clinic and will get some long overdue relief. How is the Taxol treating you? Are you still on the weekly? I'm going every three weeks but have only had two rounds. Still hasn't dried up the pleural effusion so I'm praying the onc. keeps me on it a little bit longer. I've also had new mets show up in the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. I so want this stuff to work so hoping the doc doesn't switch me yet again to something else.
Lucy we'll pray you through your scans today and that they reveal great results!
Becky, we haven't heard from you for awhile. Are you doing okay? Hope things are looking better for you. Ditto for you Kate. Everyone has been lifted up this morning. Seems like after a cold, rainy and dreary weekend, that sunshine today just makes things look so much better. Here's to a great week for all!
Blessings. Sue
0 -
thank you, Sue, for good thoughts and positive prayers. Back at you! Last week I talked my mo and NP into changing me back to abraxane. Have had 8 abraxane already this year plus 8 taxol. I believe there is less neuropathy with abraxane which was really bugging me.
Anita
0 -
Lucy: hope the scans went well today.
Sue: will pray that God directs your doctor in making right choices for you.
0 -
Hello ladies,
I survived Spring Break 2014! Lol...
For staying in town, I was a very busy momma shuttling children from one place to another. We all had a very nice week off but I feel like I need a vacation from the kids vacation from school!
Speaking of vacations, our family has been nominated for one of the Karen Wellington Foundation (for women living with breast cancer to have a vacation with their families) vacations and are trying to schedule a week. The best week in June would mean a delay for my chemo. The oncologist has approved a delay but my husband thinks it will just mess things up and is against it. I am feeling stubborn and am bound and determined that this stupid cancer will not rule my life anymore than it already consumes it. My big question is... I was thinking for stage IV cancer but really, it applies to everyone... How do you manage life? Schedules? Vacations? Events? Am I being unreasonable?
I hope everyone is doing well.
Kate
wwww.katebeatingcancer.blogspot.com
0 -
Good to hear from you Kate. I am glad you survived spring break. I can't give any insight on managing time and schedules but I am sure others can. I probably would be like you and be stubborn and want the vacation but I think prayer and doctor wisdom if you trust it are good to go by. I believe that God will steer you clear if He does not want you to do it. Put it in His hands. I always find road blocks when I am not to do things that I would like to do.
Blessings,
Char
0 -
Please pray for me. I just got the news that my tumor markers went up
31.8 points! I am on my first treatment still, Arimidex. The dr. put me
on that June 28 2013 and the markers came down every 2 months when
tested, and the PET scans got better. They never got to within normal
range though. In Feb. they were 134, now they are 166. I am seeing the
onc this Friday for my normal every 2 month visit. The nurse told me she
talked with him today and he said he will discuss this with me on
Friday but he expected them to go up at some point, and that they
fluctuate, up, down, etc. and he still thinks I'm "stable". HUH? Down is
good. Same is stable. How is UP stable? He won't change treatments
until I get a 2nd test done in 2 months. Is this normal??? Should I see
another onc? The problem is in my area, one hospital swallowed up many
others and all the good doctors. So another opinion will just be from
another dr in another group but all under the same mega group. Help.0 -
oh, Wandering - how scary. I sure will be praying for you. I don't know anything about markers so can't help but I know other ladies here do and I'm sure they'll have lots of good information. Have you ever talked to anybody at LGFB? I've called there a couple of times and they're very helpful, informed and compassionate - 800-395-5665. They certainly can give you general information and may be able to point you to providers in your area. God has a plan and purpose for this all. I'm not sure if you ever saw the mantra I quote over and over again - it's from The Red Sea Rules by John Morgan.
I'm here: by God's appointment; in His keeping; under His direction; and for His time. I said that over and over again to myself the day I had a PET scan, MRI, ultrasound and EKG.....don't know how I would have gotten through it otherwise.
God bless you - Bev
0 -
Wandering I will second Bev's comments above. I'm wondering if your doctor still feels you're within a normal range. He did say he was expecting this to fluctuate and to go up at some point and you've done really well on this drug for a very long time. You might ask him if you can have another blood test in a month instead of two. If it comes down - great. If it goes up again you can press him to put you on something else. A lot of these drugs run their course and there's other options out there. Once over the initial shock, you'll be able to see things in a different perspective.
I will definitely pray for peace of mind and clarity of wisdom for both you and the doctor! Blessings. Sue
0 -
Thank you Salty and Milehigh!! I really appreciate your responses and I will try not to be discouraged! Thank you for your prayers as well. I pray every one of us hears only good news, and that a CURE will be found so that we all will be free of his!
Salty I'm not familiar with the book. Love the quote, I'm going to use it over and over! And now that I googled the book, I'm going to get it! Thank you!0 -
Wandering Spirit, I know that this is scary but just take a deep breath and hold on. My tumour markers have gone up quite a lot and tomorrow I will start 6 months of Taxol, Herceptin and Perjeta which my oncologist expects will make the cancer disappear from my body for a very long time. I was very disappointed when I discovered the Faslodex injections had stopped working, but the advantage of being on this website is that you can see there are many other options available to us. Your markers are still probably within the relevant category for your current treatment, therefore your doctor is calm and is looking for a continuous upward climb. My oncologist explained ages ago that there are so many people whose tumour markers suddenly decide to go up and down that he looks for at least three successive increases before he considers changing their treatment. You have been blessed that you are ER+, HER2- which means that you will have a lot of hormonal treatments available to you before you need to consider going onto chemo.
This is a really horrible situation to be in, but this is where we are being tested. I will pray that you have peace, because you will need it in abundance if you are going to function while you wait to find out just what is going on. If it turns out that you do need to change your treatment, just remember that He is with you all the time even though you will often feel alone. None of this is a surprise to Him, He planned your life before the beginning of time and will not let you slip through His fingers now. I intend getting a copy of The Red Sea Rules, it sounds like something we all need to read.
Blessings, Debbie
0 -
Dear Debbie, We will both be getting chemo today. I will pray for you.. as well as other needs..
Please pray....That the Chemo will not be too harsh this time, and that it will keep shrinking the tumors, Wisdom for my doctor, and guidance..
Thanks so much.
becky .
0 -
Debbie - good to hear from you - and I certainly will be praying for you and Becky today with chemo. As I've told several of the ladies, The Red Sea Rules absolutely changed my cancer journey and I can't recommend it highly enough. A friend gave me a copy - said she's given copies to lots of folks and I can see why. I just bought a couple on Amazon and gave them out - I need to get a couple more to keep on hand. As the book says, don't ask "why me?" (which I certainly would have been doing!) - ask HOW CAN GOD BE GLORIFIED?
I've also been so blessed by Jesus Today by Sarah Young - she reminds me over and over to "glance at troubles, gaze on God."
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is not seen is eternal. II Cor. 4:16-17.
Bev
0 -
So good to hear from all of you! Becky, good to have you check in and will be praying for you too through your chemo. Debbie I'm going to pray for you as well and with that cocktail, no side effects with miraculous results!
I will ask for prayers today as I have to have yet another thorocentesis. The upside is that I have a doctor that I've had twice before and is really good. My back is still sore from the doctor I had two weeks ago so this is truly an answered prayer.
I too am scheduled for chemo on Friday and this will be round three. I so wanted this chemo to dry up the pleural effusion so hopefully this will be the cycle that does the trick. This is the 7th thorocentesis in 6 months and the fourth in the last 6 weeks
.I also had something kind of weird happen. I shared that I got my scan results last Friday with mixed results. The leg tumor had shrunk considerably. The bad news was I had a lot of new metastases' in the lymph nodes in the chest and abdomen. Well, I went back to re-read the report earlier this week and could not find where the report talked about the new metastases. I went line by line and it just wasn't there! I'm wondering if the radiologist went back and reconsidered her findings. It was weird but if they're not there, I'll take it! I only see a nurse before my chemo this week and she's not good at giving me accurate info. I also haven't heard from the onc. which is a good sign she's keeping me on this current regimen. So, I'm hoping God gave me a huge answered prayer before I even asked for it!
Blessings and prayers over you all. Sue
0 -
Becky, You are always in my prayers. You were so kind and friendly to me when I first joined this thread (just after my diagnosis last May), and I think it is amazing the way the Lord holds you close to Him. If you just look back on your journey, to have two different terminal cancers and to have the Lord keep you safe, it puts the side effects into context. I know that He loves all of us, but I think you are a very special person.
Bev, I have a Kindle so just bought the book and have been lying in a lavender bubble bath, glass of red wine beside me, as I began reading it. It is very easy to read, and makes a lot of sense. I think we all need something encouraging now and again.
Sue, I looked up a thorocentesis on the internet and it scared the living daylights out of me. You are very brave to keep cheerful even though you are now about to have your 7th procedure in 6 months. I will join in your prayers that this final cycle does the trick.
It is exciting to read about your scan results - how about that for the Lord moving in mysterious ways!
Debbie
0 -
Hello again ladies. I'm just getting home from my thorcentesis and survived. Next time (if there is one) I'm asking for DRUGS, lol. This is the second one I've had in the last two weeks that was extremely painful! Ouch is all I can say but at least it's over. Thanks Debbie for your prayers and kind words.
I'm again going to ask for prayers for Friday. I got my discharge papers today and they always list all of your upcoming appointments. My appointments with the nurse practitioner and the doctor for this Friday and the 23rd are there along with my pre-chemo blood workups. What has disappeared are the chemo appointments! I put a call into the doctor's office to find out where those appointments are because I do NOT like surprises. If the doctor is going to change my chemo yet again, I don't want to get there Friday and find out I'm getting a new drug and being put off another week. I want to know now. Please pray that it's just some computer glitch. I will be devastated if she takes me off of this protocol after only two cycles.
Blessings. Sue
0 -
Sue, I am praying for you. Are you breathing better? Is the pain under control? It is time to rest and pamper yourself, rest in God's hands. He will work out the chemo for you,
Anita
0 -
You ladies never cease to amaze me. I think of you all often. Keeping God in the center of all the craziness is sometimes easier said than done. It is good to know that we share not just a disease, but a wonderful creator.
I know the feeling with the tumor markers being up. I spent several trying weeks waiting on test results after a spike in one of my tests. They were worried I had a liver mets, but it was my pancreas that was causing the increase. I still have one that is abnormally high, but they believe it is from something else, not cancer.
Sue, I hope you are breathing better soon. I so understand what you are going through. They'd have to sedate me for me to have it done again. And it's been 20+ years since I had it done the first time. Having a doctor put his finger in my lung with just a local scarred me physically and emotionally. Just the words rib spreader makes me cringe.
Blessings
0 -
Anita, after the thorocentesis I was able to breathe much better. My side and back are still sore but the doctor said to expect this because those membranes they poke through are full of nerve endings. This is only the second time I've had pain though so Mini, you're right. Next time I want something really strong!
I left a message with my doctor's nurse about why the chemo appointments have disappeared. She's normally good about calling me back. When 5:00 rolled around, I realized she wasn't going to call me back and likely referred my question to the doctor who also hasn't called. Well, Satan has been working overtime the last two hours making me think the worst. Been a crying, slobbering, depressed mess. Mind you, this is after I talked with a local charity again about having selected me for assistance the next six months! I got this wonderful news last Friday and confirmed again today with them. Low and behold, all I can think about is this lousy cancer and when am I going to get some good news for a change? LOL. Can anyone else relate to this?
Time for some refocusing! Sue
0 -
Thanks so much for the support, and i will be praying for each of you as we go through the afflictions at do draw us nearer to our LORD, he is our stronghold, more later chemo brain and fatigue hitting now..
thanks for this quote......bev.....Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is not seen is eternal. II Cor. 4:16-17.
becky
0 -
Becky so good to hear from you. How is this chemo doing and are you seeing good results?
Update on the weird week: I never heard back from anyone yesterday and it wasn't until about 1:00 this afternoon that the doctor finally answered my email. She had no idea what happened to my scheduled chemo appointments! They just disappeared so she had a different nurse re-schedule tomorrow's chemo. She also said that she had the nurse swap her out for the nurse practitioner so we can talk about "possibly" switching to the eribulin which I was scheduled for several months ago. I want to stay on the Taxol at least one more cycle if not two to see if it will dry up my pleural effusion in my lung. Additionally she said that for some reason, the radiologist compared my latest scan with one I had in January instead of the one I had in February. I had completely missed that one! The onc. is going to look at February to see if I can stay on the current protocol. Warfare prayers on this one ladies! I don't think I could handle another emotional roller coaster like the one I had yesterday, lol. Maybe there's a poltergeist in their computer system!
Lots of prayers are going out for each of you. Blessings to all and here's to good news tomorrow! Sue
0 -
Hello again! It's been quiet in here!!
Finally some good news. I'm just getting home from my 9-hour stint with labs, onc. appointment and chemo. The doctor was so uplifting and encouraging this morning. I can surely see some growth there! She had gone in and compared my newest scan with the one I'd had in February that the radiologist missed. She went line by line and said I was "stable" and there wasn't any new growth ANYWHERE. Everything had improved slightly or stayed the same. Woo Hoo! She was also willing to keep me on the current regimen for another cycle and then we'll do scans again. That was such a relief.
I shared the story of my goofy week with the social worker who always comes in to chat when I'm on my long chemo days to keep me company and the final outcome. (She's also a believer). We got a good laugh out of it. I will definitely have to put that one in the book!
Blessings to all. Sue
0 -
Oh Sue, how Satan works to get everything stirred up. I am so happy for your good news. You certainly deserve to here something positive for a change.
0 -
Thanks all for the prayers, Chemo and neulasta shot went well,
I feel pretty good all considered ----tonite will be the pain in bones, what do any of you use for nuelasta pain???I take aleve, it helps somewhat..
. the new chemo drugs are harsh but last scan looking pretty good and tumor markers keep going down. Praise the Lord. I love you gals tho I do not post very much.
0
